Will You Play the Game?
by SecretlyADemon
Summary: Allen thought he'd escaped hell on Earth upon defeating the Earl. But the flames continue to haunt him when the Earl is resurrected and finds a human who foolishly believes he's God. Humanity's only chance of salvation lies in three exorcists and the detective known as L. But things are never that easy existing with both Innocence and Noah. Just ask Allen.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this story was inspired by the single thought, what would happen if Allen, Kanda and Lavi were involved with the Kira case. It then escalated with plot and back-story and ideas and here we are. XD**

**This chapter, like a few other future ones, will have a writing style that I'd like to experiment with, so it might come across as a little confusing, but I had a friend read it and she got all the necessary info that I wanted to portray so it shouldn't be too bad. XD Though if there are questions or if a few of you would like to give me your feedback on this chapter in particular, that would be great, if not I hope you enjoyed it anyway and will continue reading it.**

**IMPORTANT-timeline note, I'll be following the year timeline in the anime, but the days time line that was provided by the wiki. Just a heads up. I will keep a day countdown each chapter, just so I don't lose anyone-or confuse myself XD.**

**Last note, (this will probably be my longest AN, I'll try to keep my comments in future chapters till the end and keep them brief.) I haven't completely decided the pairing for this story, I keep going back and forth between two, so if you don't mind reviewing your choice or participating in the poll-I'll have the choices at the end of the chapter, that would be great in helping me decide guys. A vote in the poll and a review will be counted as two seperate reviews.**

**Without further ado, the story.**

**November 23, 2008-Japan**

There were too many people; he felt claustrophobic. He had to get away. Maybe if he managed to find a place completely void of people, this wouldn't be happening; he wouldn't be living his _worst nightmare_. But that was too much to ask. The people around him seemed to move ever closer. When he pushed one away, another bumped into his side. If he dodged one, he ran another over. And they wouldn't keep their irritation at him quiet either. Why did it have to seem like they were _yelling_?

Too many bodies, too many people, too many _eyes_.

_Have you missed me, Neah?_

He clawed at his hair, not caring if he pulled it all out.

Someone touched him, stopped him. They were talking-_so loud_-acting as if they cared. They didn't care. No one cared about him, not since his mother died, not since Mana disappeared, not since he had to kill his father with his own hand. He pushed the person away with enough force, to discourage the person to continue after him, to continue _caring_. No one cared.

He wasn't followed as he continued to run. He had been running for what felt like an eternity and yet a path wasn't cleared for him. Were humans truly so dense? He needed them out of his way. He couldn't let that man find him again. That man was supposed to be dead.

_Why do you run, Neah? You're family. Don't you want to be reunited with your family?_

He shook his head. He couldn't stop now. He had to keep going, lest he was caught up to. He couldn't let that happen. He wasn't ready for it. He was never supposed to deal with this situation again. He just had to ignore the voice and keep walking-running-and find solace alone so he could prepare himself, to collect himself...to make sure he still _was_ himself.

Loud sirens added to the angry voices. Someone called the police on him. Did he care? ...Would the police give him his desperately needed space? No. He would run from them too if he had to.

His vision was leaving him. Colours were blurring together. Was he even standing straight? He swore that he was running at an angle.

His chest was heaving, breathing was becoming difficult but he couldn't let that stop him. He had to keep running.

He tumbled to the side. He tried to stop it.

_Neah. _Melancholy, why did that man pretend that this effected him?

He didn't hit the floor right away. His shoulder made sharp contact with a wall and the wall gave way; he collapsed to the ground.

His limbs were shaking. He had to stand again, he had to keep running. Why wasn't his body listening to him? Why was it aching? His left arm was twitching painfully. Wasn't Allen supposed to keep the Innocence docile?

People were around him again. He didn't like it, he couldn't breathe. Why did humans have to be too curious for their own good? He tried to get up again, and succeeded, mostly. His left arm was having a hard time responding, feeling stiff and unresponsive and there were _people_ trying to convince him to stay down, some saying he was a lunatic, causing a ruckus and others were convinced he was injured and needed help. None of them understood, he needed to get away.

Why hadn't he simply stayed in the ark?

His forehead ached. It wasn't nearly as bad as when his Noah had awoken in Allen's body, but it was painful enough for him to take notice. It had to be that blasted Innocence. He should have simply destroyed it when he had the chance, Allen Walker be damned.

He frowned. No, he didn't mean that. He owed Allen Walker a lot, and as loath as he was to admit it, the Innocence known as Crown Clown had saved his life on more than one occasion, just as his Noah genes had saved Allen. Not to mention all the times _Allen_ had saved his ass and after all this time, he couldn't destroy the Innocence and Allen with it. They shared a mind, heart and body. It was a connection they could no longer break. It was a connection that no longer had a line in which they could differentiate the difference between the two of them.

He pushed the humans away. They were over crowding him. Why did they have to group together like moths to a light?

He was pretty sure he voiced his irritation, his unwillingness to comply to their demands. They didn't understand what he was going through and they never would.

_We understand you Neah. _I_ understand you._ Comfort. That man didn't know the true definition of the word, and it sickened him that he tried and could almost pull it off. But he knew better. He wouldn't fall for those false promises again. He made his own way; alone.

No, not alone. There were others. He had to find them. But how, after so many years of neglect?

Damn it, he needed to get off this floor. At the very least, he had to get walking again. He. Couldn't. Stop.

His vision still blurred and the colours seemed too bright, and the noises too loud. Did he smell cake? Strawberries? No, damn it. He couldn't let his body recognize it was hungry-forever hungry-he had to get away, he was getting closer to being caught every moment he wasted standing still.

He was standing.

His body wanted to collapse again.

His stomach growled. ...How long had it been since he had last eaten? Too long probably, but he didn't have the time now.

He was being spoken to. He was pretty sure he flicked them off.

Where was the exit? The four walls that were encircling him in no way helped his claustrophobia and the damned people enclosed within them weren't helping either.

He had fallen to the right. The door had to be that way, he was sure. If he just kept in a straight line, perhaps he would find it and he could keep going. Hands stopped him, arms stopped him, voices tried to stop him.

"Pathetic." He snarled at the white dressed man before him. He didn't like that white. It reminded Allen of the scientists, the ones Komui had no control over.

..._He_ was Allen...wasn't he?

"I don't need your help. _Let go of me_ before I rip your _God damned hand from your body._" A human wrist was clenched in his right hand. He took a moment to ponder the feeling of the frail bones in his grasp. All it would take was a little...more...pressure.

"Oi, Moyashi."

He tensed, his attention drawn to the voice behind the human and in doing so, clenched his hands into fists. A scream broke through the endless yelling and chatter. A dangerous part of his mind reveled in the human's agony. What would it feel like, to snap the rest of the bones, simply travel along the body and snap each one, much like he was popping the bubbles of bubble wrap? He was sure it would be much more satisfying to hear human screams, begging and pleading accompanying each snap, unlike the simple pop of bubble wrap.

He didn't recognize the feeling of the human's forearm in his grasp until a calloused hand grabbed his own wrist.

"_Moyashi_."

His mind cleared slightly. He knew that voice and he liked the owner of that voice...most of the time. He liked it enough to trust it with his life. As his mind cleared, so did his vision. Colours grew sharp, forming pictures of people and objects and a room. The first thing his mind registered was that midnight black hair, hung in a ponytail that brought him a sense of peace. It was familiar. The face was next, and though it was pulled into a scowl, he much rather wanted to focus on the eyes, the eyes that were bleeding worry and compassion. He would never mention such feelings in those eyes to the owner. He would merely be yelled at, and the feelings would be dulled, an attempt to conceal them. He couldn't let that happen. He lived for those emotions, emotions he feared he could no longer feel.

"That, is not my name."

"That is who you are." He froze, biting back a gasp as his chest felt a little less heavy and his surroundings a little sharper to his senses.

"Why did you interrupt?" _How did you find me?_ He would much rather ask that, but he knew he wouldn't get the words passed his lips.

"You can't go anywhere without causing problems. Stop being a drama queen."

"It's not my fault they're pests."

The other's hand tightened around his wrist, then tugged, pulling his grip on the human's arm free. The human instantly turned to the police, to demand the nutter get taken in. He had to control himself from jumping on the human and follow through with his plan to break each and every one of his bones slowly.

His pathway was blocked by those dark grey eyes, and the sadistic thoughts faded to a manageable state.

_Neah, why do you protect them? Why do you allow yourself to be controlled by them?_

His lip curled and he tried to tug his wrist free. They were closer, the voice was louder. The grip on his wrist didn't alleviate. Fingers grabbed his chin none too gently, forcing him to look into those now hard grey eyes.

"What are you hearing?"

He shook his head. He couldn't tell. If he spoke it out loud, he knew he couldn't convince himself it was all happening in his head. If he spoke it aloud, it meant it was actually happening. No. He had to keep moving, running, forwards. He had to keep the distance between himself and them.

"It's not an immediate danger to you. You have the time to tell me what the hell you're hearing."

He was wrong. They were an immediate danger to him. They were after him. They weren't going to forgive, despite the false sense of security they were trying to coax him into. While the other-his rock-thought it was simply something that was happening farther off, he knew the other was wrong. If he was hearing them in his head, _they had power_. They were forcing him into a living nightmare.

"There is no time."

The grey eyes pulled away from his as they turned to focus on the people behind him. The police were demanding that the other allow him to go with them. He wouldn't go with the police. He would be easy picking for them then.

"Shut your damn mouth, he's going no where. I don't care if it's 'your job,' he doesn't need to be locked up behind bars." The other gave a curt laugh. "I'd like to see you try and take me in as well."

The police grumbled and a few of the lower status lackeys started on the other. The hand on his chin disappeared to opt for remaining at the ready to activate his Innocence.

"Stand down."

He knew that voice too, though at the moment, he wanted to be away from the gaze of the owner of it. Unlike the grey eyed one who stood before him, with the two simple words, he knew the second was even less empathetic to him. Unlike the grey eyed one, not even his eyes would betray his emotions and the last thing he wanted was to be under that calculating gaze.

"You will listen to me because those two men are with the Clan of Bookman. They aren't of your concern." A green eye went in and out of his view, as the red headed man whom owned it fought passed the group of police officers encircling them. He hesitantly followed the eye, finding each time it came into his view, settled on him, the ice covering it melted slightly.

The chief must have ordered the men to stand down, for weapons that could hardly do him any damaged were lowered and the circle around them thinned. Outraged cries of the citizens watching were palpable, and he found himself becoming enraged with the lot of them. No one cared when he first started running from that man. He should snap each of their necks now. The world would hardly mourn for their loss. He sure as hell wouldn't. Good riddance.

"Yo Allen!" The green eyed one called out, pulling his attention away from the disgusting sub-humans and stood beside the other, each of them taking up the area of his vision and this made him antsy. That man could walk through the front doors at any moment and he wouldn't be able to see him until it was too late and he couldn't have that. He had to protect the one with grey eyes and the one with a green. That would be unforgivable if something happened to them. _They_ were his family. The green eye one looked at his expression and within seconds he corrected himself. "No, not completely Allen, huh?" He leaned in closer, lowering his voice so the officers around them wouldn't hear. "No violence or murder on the menu today, ya?"

"Stop acting stupid, usagi." Though a glance was thrown over a shoulder at him, in a silent agreement with the no violence rule. "Moyashi's claiming we're running out of time."

Time. There seemed to be a decreasingly small amount of it lately and it drove him crazy. He couldn't lose time, it couldn't be _taken_ from him. He had to give it and he had given all that he could give, would give. That's why he had to keep running. That man would demand time from him and attempt to take it. He couldn't lose his time and destroy the others' at the same time. He had to protect them.

Something in his chest pulled. Damn they were closer. He should be running, gaining distance, distracting them from the ones he was trying to protect. He didn't have time to stand here. He should have been running a long time ago.

"Oi, Moyashi." That hand clenched tighter around his wrist, keeping it from moving...shaking. Damn, he really needed to get going.

"Now. We have to leave now. They're here."

Red eyebrows furrowed and a black one rose.

"Who would be after you? Hey, calm down."

Of course they wouldn't understand either. They saw him die as well. They wouldn't believe that he would be able to come back. He wouldn't either, if he hadn't _felt_ it and could feel it now.

A police officer was trying to offer his help. Were those men bipolar? After his neck one minute, trying to help it another. Not that they would do anything substantial. They would only die. And if they truly wished to help, he wouldn't waste them like that. Some of those civilians glaring at him and the few that were praying...they could help as much as they wanted.

His head suddenly snapped to the side, and his cheek began to sting. He immediately turned his glare forwards, and met those hard grey eyes again.

"Don't hit me."

"I thought you had better control on your inner sadist, Moyashi-chan," the red head answered instead, a slight grin in his voice and glint in his eye.

He glared. He was in no mood to deal with that one 's _humour. _

_"_Alright," the red haired one sighed. "Let's get you out of here and deal with this time issue then, ya?"

Out. Yes that was what he needed, to keep going forward and not let them catch up to him, to keep them away from the others...

A gear wound, two curses were uttered and one heart fell.

_Too late._

**Feel free to review, I'd really appreciate it, 'specially with this chapter and all. :)**

**And the poll choices:**

**1) KandaxLavixAllen**

**2) Yullen/AreKan and LavixL/LxLavi**


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot this in the first chapter:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable from D. Gray-Man or Death Note, they belong to their respective authors.**

**Also for the D. Gray-Man timeline, I've planned my story using the information from the latest chapter (218) and then continued on with my own interpretations and I also changed a few minor things, such as Timcampy being alive. It broke my heart when he died and I can't see Allen without him, plus he's useful to my plot so I've used my author powers to bring him back XD. Just so you know. I forgot to mention that as well XD. (last author's note at the beginning I swear, this was important so it went at the top.)**

**November 23, 2008-Japan**

The sight of the level ones' souls was as gut wrenching as it was nostalgic. It was a sight Allen Walker never wanted to see again in his abnormally long existence. Just like he had 140 years ago, Allen hated to see the soul suffer; he had to save it and let it go back to Heaven. He knew it couldn't have been a long-time suffering soul-much to his immediate relief. He himself had made sure that all akuma had been set free, much to Neah's chagrin. He later came to accept Allen's views, but he didn't agree with it (still didn't), though Allen had to admit he wasn't protesting as often or loudly as he used to.

He activated his Innocence, a more pleasant nostalgic feeling, as he forced Neah into the back of his consciousness. The last thing he needed was the Innocence to begin revolting against the presence of the Noah. It was an unstable relationship the Dark Matter and Innocence shared. One that Allen had no desire to feel the repercussions of later if he could help it. The Noah didn't put up much of a fight. He was too caught up in the dark side of his Noah and the insanity with it. Allen prayed that Neah kept that on his side. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with any more of..._that_. Though he knew, whether Neah's insanity brushed off onto him or not, that he was going to have to put up with this latest...development. It made him wish for this whole moment to be a dream.

"_Where_?" Kanda demanded from his right, voice terse and his posture reciprocating. His right hand was already gripping a crystallized Mugen.

"Ten from the right, ten from the left and ten straight ahead," Allen automatically answered.

An arm draped across his shoulder and Allen looked to his left to be greeted by Lavi's grinning face. "Welcome back, Moyashi-chan!"

Allen deadpanned. "I'm hardly short any more Lavi."

Lavi's grin widened. "You'll always be Moyashi-chan, Allen." He winked, letting go of Allen's neck in favour of reaching to grab his trusty hammer. It grew slightly upon invocation but was still a reasonable size for the room full of people they were currently occupying. "I'll get the ones on the left, ya? Just don't go running off the second I'm gone."

Allen winced slightly, but nodded not quite reluctantly. "You'll get the ones on the right Kanda?"

"Che, don't slow me down."

Both ex-exorcists rushed out the door, running in their respective directions to charge at their group of akuma. Allen promptly turned to the people surrounding him and bowed, much to Neah's protest. As he raised from his bow, he turned to the group of police men that were to the right of the door. When he spoke to them, he tried to call upon his knowledge of the Japanese language. The last time he had been in Japan, the residents had all been akuma and he'd been too occupied with the Earl. Kanda's lessons to try and improve his skills didn't end to well either; he got a beginner's _How to Speak Japanese_ book thrown at his head with information he pretty much already knew when the other's patience had worn thin. He probably should have just asked Neah for a translation, but he didn't particularly find he had the time. "I'm terribly sorry, but can you all remain inside until we get back? I'd hate to see anyone get hurt."

Neah sneered, and Allen gave him a respective shove. _He_ was in control now. And he was definitely _not _getting his translation now.

"Sir, I'd actually like for you to come with us. We only want to help you. We'll, uh, get your eye checked too."

Allen didn't know whether to snort or frown. However, he quickly covered his activated eye and tried to smile instead. "For your own safety, you'll want to remain inside, and let me go out to deal with a potentially dangerous problem." He ran out the door before any of the police tried to further the argument. He did _not_ want Kanda to take out his group of akuma. He'd never hear the end of it.

He kept his gaze fixed forward, his left eye guiding him to the akuma that were hovering over the buildings ahead of him. Calling on Crown Belt, he launched himself onto the roof just below the approaching akuma, barely missing one of Lavi's fire stamps. Sending an irritated glance in the direction the snake had come from, he met the eye of a grinning Lavi who gave him a cheeky salute before turning back around to the few akuma that had sneaked up behind him. With a slight roll of his eyes, Allen focused on his own batch of akuma.

He was happy to note that they were all level ones, not a level two-or higher-in sight. Not only did it make his job easier and lower the risk of a civilian getting hit, it meant that a lot of people hadn't died yet, for such an evolution to occur.

He could have taken them out in one go with Edge End, or even Crown Belt, but in that moment, Allen preferred to jump from akuma to akuma, slicing through each one and reacquainting himself with the feeling of the metal tearing past his fingers. Of freeing the soul from the confines of the Dark Matter. Without it being dangerous for the civilians below, Allen took a moment to watch each soul fly up in the direction of Heaven before disappearing, having reached its destination. That had to be one of his regrets from the war; he had animated himself from the akuma's souls.

When the last one was set free, Allen took a moment to pause-it was _not_ a break, he wasn't _that much_ out of shape, damn it-and noticed the sizable crowd that stood on the street, both below his building and further to both the left and right, watching Lavi and Kanda as well. Damn it, didn't he tell the idiots to stay inside? Why did they feel the need to get a front row ticket to a show that was dangerous and could potentially get them killed?

_The disgusting sub-humans deserve to die if they act so stupidly. Humanity hasn't changed at all,_ Neah sneered.

_Don't say that!_ Allen argued back._ You can't let his memories get to you. Get to us. Besides there aren't anymore...akuma..._

His eye still activated, Allen frowned down at the one akuma that decided to hide within the crowd and remain hidden. He acted on instinct. He jumped down, the crowd parting for him as he did so, and bent his legs as he landed, turning on the disguised akuma immediately. He raised his arm against it, it's eyes going wide as he did so, trying to play the part of a human. Apparently, these akuma weren't aware that his eye could _see them._

Much to the crowd's horror, Allen didn't pause nor flinch as he thrust his claws into the midsection of the akuma. The explosion that promptly followed didn't seem to deter the horror struck and angered humans around him.

"Murderer!"

"I knew that man was insane! Where are the police?"

"That poor girl, her parents will be devastated."

Allen deactivated his arm, turning to the crowd to try and explain the concept of akuma to those that believed akuma and 'demons' to be nothing more than a myth. But they would have none of it. They all gave him a wide berth, yet they encircled him, not allowing him to exit the make shift cage their bodies made. He frowned in irritation and Neah sneered, trying to convince him to simply deal with the lot of them and get going.

_Neah_, Allen said to his "adoptive uncle" trying to forever keep him calm. Not that Allen couldn't blame the Noah for his frazzled nerves, nor his not completely sane mental state. _You need to take a moment and slow down. These people have lived without akuma for generations. Most of them haven't even had to deal with the concept of war. Cut them some slack._

Allen felt the other try to take a deep breath and follow Allen's suggestion, but the uneasy irritation was still palpable. He decided to simply reply with a grumbled, _Damn humans._

"Back off!" Kanda snarled as he viciously shoved the people blocking his way out of it in a manner that sent many tumbling to the ground. The others had taken note of the katana in his hand and backed off willingly, not wanting to risk getting sliced with such a blade.

"Oi, oi, Yuu-chan, calm down!" Lavi called out amongst quieter, "Excuse me"'s as he made his way towards Allen as well, with a considerably smaller number of people falling like dominoes in his wake. Though many also backed off for him as well, sending curious glances at the larger than normal hammer in his grasp.

Kanda reached Allen first, throwing a glare in Lavi's direction and raised Mugen level to the other's throat as he arrived moments later. "Don't use my first name, Baka Usagi."

Lavi simply rolled his eyes, disregarding the blade poised at a potentially fatal part of his anatomy, and leaned against his hammer, turning to Allen. "What commotion have you started now?"

"I dealt with an akuma that didn't want to come out of hiding." Allen eyed the crowd that seemed to have given them more space, yet the number of them seemed to have increased. He barely caught some of them mentioning things like the Yakuza, and terrorists. Allen winced and sighed as he saw a couple people leading the police towards them.

"Ah, that could be slightly problematic." Lavi too seemed to take not of the sizable crowd and the new additions.

Allen hummed in agreement, "I can't call upon the ark here. Too many people."

"Hell no," Kanda agreed. "We don't need to give these idiots anymore ammunition. How are you talking us out of this one Usagi?"

Said redhead rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "My authority as Bookman only goes so far these days. Had the fiasco in the bakery been our only problem, I could have gotten us out of it no problem. People thinking Moyashi-chan committed murder? Not as likely. I thought we told you no violence for dinner today," he teased.

Allen raised his eyebrow, not amused. "It was an akuma. And I tried warning you."

Lavi ruffled his hair. "I know, Moyashi-chan! I'm just pulling your leg."

Allen grumbled, trying to fix his ruffled hair.

By this time, the crowd had moved out of the way to let the police through. They crept forwards, clumped together, guns drawn pointing at the three of them. The ones who were aiming at Lavi and Kanda were eyeing the weapons in their hands.

"Let me talk to the police," Allen said, meeting Lavi and Kanda's eyes. They regarded him sceptically.

"You sure? They think you're nutters, Moyashi-chan," Lavi said.

Allen nodded. "You should start by deactivating your Innocence. The last thing we need is to appear as anymore of a threat."

They shared a look before doing so simultaneously. They knew that if the police got violent with them, they could activate quickly enough to avoid any attacks or damage.

A bespectacled middle aged man stepped out of the fray, no weapon in hand, despite the protests of his colleagues. He paused a couple of feet from his fellow police officers. He didn't say anything right away, simply inspected the three young men in front of him. Allen felt it quite peculiar that the man didn't out right accuse him of murder, or claim his insanity. Intrigued, Allen also waited, much to Kanda's impatience. Sensing the other man was about interrupt, he elbowed him in the side and sent him a quick silencing glare. Kanda simply sighed, averting his eyes back to the officer in front of them with a hard look and crossed arms.

After a moment longer, the police officer spoke. "Did you destroy those machines?"

This man had priorities, Allen appreciated that. "Yes, my colleagues and I destroyed the akuma."

"Demons?"

"Chief," an officer behind the one who just spoke, interrupted, "You can't trust him. Many civilians are saying he killed a girl. And you saw him in the bakery..."

"Something was clearly bothering him. He is in his right mind now, it's plain to see if you look hard enough," the chief replied to the other officer before turning to Allen for an answer to his question.

"Oh yes, I forgot that that was the literal translation of the word here. It has been some time since I've been in Japan..." Allen snapped himself out the memory threatening to envelope him, not wanting to get lost in those horrible Cross related memories, or the ones he had accumulated after the fact. "But I suppose that they can be considered such. They aren't the mythological creatures you're probably thinking of though."

"How did you destroy them?"

"There have been previous attacks, haven't there?" Allen shot back, truly curious. How long had _that man_ been gaining power without his knowledge? _How did he not know?_ This time he didn't fight the shudder or frown. There was another tug in his chest and Neah shoved. He wanted to run, but Allen couldn't let him, nor did he want to. Not yet. There was a time and a place, and this was neither. "Were any of the others stopped?"

"No."

"How many have there been?"

The chief answered, though a couple of the other officers were growing agitated that the interrogation had turned on their chief. "They have been sporadic for the past month."

Allen turned to Lavi. "What _is_ the date exactly?"

"November 23rd, Baka," Kanda answered instead.

Allen frowned at Lavi. "I missed your birthday."

Lavi laughed, "It's not the first, though I don't think that's something you should be focusing on right now, Moyashi-chan. Besides, you missed Yuu-chan's too."

"I remember celebrating his birthday though," Allen mused, looking over at Kanda an apologetic frown on his lips. How many years had it been? How long did Neah have control? He recalled a world war-don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it- that Neah greatly enjoyed, right before he took over. It couldn't have been that long, right? Though with a quick look around at his surroundings, it could be proven quite true at the very different style of dress and buildings...they were so _tall._

"While my friend here, is lost in thought, I'll take the liberty of saying the little girl everyone believes Moyashi-chan killed was also an akuma," Lavi announced.

"You truly expect us to believe that a human girl was a robot? And even if she was, how can we take his word on it?" One officer retorted, gesturing wildly at Allen.

"First, akuma disguise themselves as humans. Second, akuma are not robots. You're assuming they are run by computers and modern technology. Akuma are made of three simple things, a machine, dark matter and a tragedy, essentially, a soul," Lavi listed.

"And my eye can see akuma, it's a curse," Allen added, having pulled himself from the potentially depressing recesses of his mind.

"A curse?" the policeman scoffed. "Chief, please you must see that this man is insane."

"So you're going to throw the only three people who have any knowledge of these machines in jail?" Kanda scoffed, "I don't even see why we should bother."

"We can research this matter on our own. We can-"

"At what cost?" Allen interrupted. "How many civilian lives are you ready to sacrifice for this research? While you research, people _will_ die. One akuma can kill dozens unopposed, and that's the weakest one. Are you ready to take _years_ to research and let millions of people die while you do it?"

The officer spluttered, unable to a form a straight answer.

The chief cut him off, answering instead. "No. No more innocents should die if it can be avoided. I think I can speak for my colleagues when I say this." The majority of the other officers nodded their heads in agreement. "This is why I have a proposition. We will forgo all charges and give you our full support in exchange for information and your own support."

"All charges, Chief?" the vocal officer protested.

"Yes, all charges. If these men speak the truth, they will not be arrested. If they're lying, the charges will be pressed." The chief turned to the other officer. "You must understand the benefits of having this knowledge sooner rather than later. At the moment, we know nothing."

"But they're so _young_."

Allen and Lavi chuckled slightly, while Kanda scoffed. "Oh, I think we'd surprise you," Allen smiled. "And you have a deal Sir. We appreciate the support."

The Chief nodded, and turned to the other officers. "Lower your weapons. We will return to headquaters. The three of you can ride with me."

Allen nodded, "We greatly appreciate it, Sir."

The other police officers, not ones to argue with their chief's decision, lowered their weapons and worked on disbanding the group of spectators that had congregated. Slowly but surely, the three ex-exorcists were left with the police chief.

"My name is Yagami Soichiro, Chief of Police here in Japan," the man introduced, bowing slightly in greeting.

Allen returned the bow. "I am Walker Allen, and this is Kanda Yuu and Lavi." Lavi also reciprocated the bow, while Kanda scoffed. With a frown, Allen added, "You'll have to excuse Kanda, he has the manners of a 5 year old street rat...wait, even they have more manners than him. It's something we're working on."

"What was that, Moyashi?" Kanda growled, glowering down at the younger white haired man. Even with the extra inches Allen had grown, he was still an inch short of meeting the man eye to eye, and Kanda didn't let him forget it.

"Perhaps we should get you a device to aid with your hearing as well? I'm sure they have something along those lines here." Allen's lips pulled up in a sickeningly sweet smile.

"I'm not the one with old man hair. There's an increased love for baldness these days. I'll gladly help you fit in." Kanda raised his arm, ready to call upon Mugen to do just that.

"There's no need for you to do that, BaKanda. You'll be too occupied with dealing with your own hair. I'm pretty sure looking like a girl won't ever be in style. Not that you could pull it off anyway."

"Whoa, guys, let's keep the reunion celebrations 'till later. We're keeping Yagami-san waiting," Lavi interrupted with a quick laugh, trying to come between the two without putting himself in a place that could cause him bodily harm. Even though his reflexes were top notch, he didn't feel like risking it.

Allen's eyes widened slightly as he turned to face the police chief, having completely forgotten the older man's presence entirely, much to his embarrassment. It had been a while since he got so caught up in something that he lost sense of his surroundings. "Ah, yes. My apologies, Yagami-san. Please, lead the way."

Chief Yagami appeared to collect himself from the sense of shock he felt watching the two boys bicker, and nodded, turning to lead the way with a smile on his face.

Allen paused mid-step when he caught sight of the...contraption the chief had led them to. It was possibly one of the strangest things he had seen of human creation (for this couldn't really match up to the power of Innocence or Dark Matter). It looked much like a carriage, yet it was made out of metal, like a train. On the side which he stood, Allen could make out two doors, two seats near the front, a row in the back and a circular device in front of the seat on the far side, of which he assumed was used for steering. What the heck was it?

Lavi nudged him lightly in the side, to encourage him to keep moving and Allen just looked up at him uncertainly. That contraption did not look safe.

"It's fine, Moyashi-chan. It's not going to eat you," Lavi tried to encourage.

Allen shook his head. "Since when did carriages become metal?"

Lavi grinned at him. "We have a lot to catch you up on."

The chief looked up at them from the driver's side, door open, ready to let the man into the compartment. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no," Lavi denied. "It's just that Allen-chan's last experience in a car wasn't the happiest. But he's fine," Lavi looked down at him with a wink, "right?"

Allen nodded, finding it easiest to go with Lavi's lie.

"Why don't you go in first, Yuu-chan? Allen can go in the middle."

Kanda glared at Lavi for the use of his first name, but didn't object, opening the back door, sliding across the seats to the far side. Biting back his uncertainty, Allen followed suit, with Lavi pushing in after him. It wasn't the most comfortable fit. Not that it would be, stuffing three young men, all of which were around the six foot mark into a too small space.

"One of you could have sat up front," Chief Yagami offered, noticing Allen's slightly squished appearance through the review mirror.

"No, that's alright we're fine," Lavi denied happily.

Allen sighed in disagreement, but didn't complain. He was the only one being squished after all, so he could deal with it.

Casting one last unsure glance at Allen, the chief started the car and the engine purred, causing Allen to jump in alarm. The noise wasn't nearly as loud as a train whistle, yet he found the sound of the "car" as Lavi put it, quite off putting. But then, it started _moving._

He didn't mean to, but he ended up grabbing Kanda's wrist in a death grip as the car began moving at speeds Allen was greatly unfamiliar with. Kanda cast him an annoyed glare, but didn't say anything other than an irritated, "Tch," before returning his head to its resting position on his fist, his eyes looking out at the city as it almost blurred passed them.

By the time the car stopped at the police headquarters, Allen was sure his face was green with queasiness. He was officially going to avoid travelling by car whenever possible.

"You'll get used to it over time," Lavi soothed, smiling reassuringly.

Allen wasn't too sure but didn't in feel in the mood to argue other wise.

"Let go of me, Moyashi," Kanda added, as Lavi opened the door to get out.

Allen, realizing that he had grabbed hold of Kanda, let go quickly as if he had been struck by lightening, his heart racing as if he'd just fought off hundreds of akuma on his own. Jerkily, he shuffled out of the car, and did his best to avoid Kanda's gaze until his heart slowed down and he was sure he could handle his nerves.

"Hey, Allen, get a look at this building," Lavi sang, his arm wrapping around the other's shoulders as he pointed to the building standing tall in front of them.

Allen's eyes followed the direction of Lavi's finger, glad to have something to take his mind off his almost fatal mistake. And he wasn't disappointed. Its height hardly rivalled that of the Black Order, but then again, the Order had intelligence and research that was far ahead of it's time, due to the Vatican's funding. But for the rest of the human race, the height of the building wasn't of a standard that he had seen before; it was much taller than the two story houses he was used to.

Lavi grinned at his friend's amazed expression.

"Are all the buildings around here this tall?" The white haired teen asked.

"In the cities, yes. There are some that are even taller. They rival the Order's height, that's for sure."

And he missed the transition in technology. Well, Neah saw the lot, but said "uncle" was remaining quite when it came to informing his "nephew" on everything he missed. Perhaps he would have to ask Timcampy to show him when he got the chance...and time. He would definitely need time to catch up on how ever many years he had missed. On the note of Timcampy...

"Where's Tim?"

"How do you think we found you, idiot?" Kanda snapped, taking the lead to follow Chief Yagami. The back of Kanda's jacket moved and said golden golem flew from out of its hiding place. "Wouldn't leave me alone," he muttered lowly.

Allen grinned, pulling Tim into a hug. "You got smaller!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his hands around the golem easily.

"How big was he, when you last saw him?" Lavi asked.

"Don't just stand there, idiots. Get moving!"

Allen found his mood couldn't be broken so easily now that he had Tim in his grasp again and was smiling as he rushed to walk in time with Kanda. Lavi followed after him as they entered the building. "He was about double this size," he answered, before apologetically murmuring to the golem as he shoved it up his sleeve.

The chief greeted the men behind the counter as they entered, receiving a similar greeting in return. They also nodded in greeting to the three ex-exorcists as they trailed behind. Allen smiled and returned the greeting before walking past two doors-that moved on their own to Allen's amazement-and into a small room.

Allen shuffled slightly in discomfort, and slight confusion; he was surprised when the room began to move. It was then that Allen recognized that it must have been an elevator, one of a different design than the Order's. He relaxed slightly as he finally recognized something in this modern world.

The elevator stopped with a ding, the doors opening on their own once again, revealing a large, open concept room with many sections enclosed within three walls, each having a separate person working in each. It was like the Science Division, but more organized and...productive. At least it looked more productive.

The chief didn't stop at any of the little offices though, despite the many looks and questions he received from the officers they passed. They were instead, led into an office enclosed with all four walls and door, signalling the chief's obvious seniority over the other officers.

"Please, take a seat," Chief Yagami said, as he closed the door behind the three, before taking a seat in his chair behind the desk.

Allen did just so and Lavi took the seat beside him, while Kanda situated himself into a comfortable standing position between both chairs. Allen turned to the other and pointed to the spare chair by the door. "There is another chair so you can sit as well."

"Che, I don't need a chair."

Chief Yagami looked rather uncomfortable as he double checked with the native Japanese. He only got a half rude reply that he was fine, before Allen jumped in to avoid any further awkward interactions.

"Perhaps we should start with the story of a war not recorded in any history book," Allen started.

"That the general public has access to anyway," Lavi added.

"It starts with a man known only to the world as the Millennium Earl..."

**And this is where I take the time to thank all of you that have reviewed, favourited, followed and voted in my poll. It really keeps my motivation up and I'm glad that the first chapter was understandable. ;)**

**To my reviewers: **

**PoisonousDemon: Thank you for the review and feedback. That was part of the effect that I was going for. :) And I want to answer your question, but I don't want to give too much away. I'll leave you with I do have a legit reason, and it has to do with the defeat of the Noah in the war. Hope that clears some confusion while still leaving something to anticipate. ;)**

**usagi-strike: Thank you for pointing that out. It's hard to catch everything when I read the chapter over so many times. I seem to find myself skimming it over instead of editing sometimes XD. So I appreciate it. And I do plan to use that style again later in the story, for special effect. ;) And you vote has been taken into account.**

**Lenore91: Thanks for the review, I found the style of writing really intense to write as well. XD I got caught up in it myself sometimes. And thank you for the vote. :)**

**orlyorly: Thanks for the vote, I really appreciate it. :D**

**Poll Results at the moment (for I'll keep them going for a while, I'll let everyone know when I close the poll. You'll get a chapter or two's notice.)**

**KandaxLavixAllen: 1**

**Yullen/Arekan and LxLavi/LavixL: 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**November 23, 2008**

Allen expected the silence that followed; it was a lot to take in after all and he didn't expect the man to over react. The way he had approached them while still on the street was enough of an indication that the chief didn't react strongly without valid reason. And it made sense with his position and experience, yet it was a nice breath of fresh air for Allen. He couldn't say he got that lack of reaction every day.

The Chief eventually nodded, indicating he had processed the information given to him. "You can be certain he was defeated in the last war? There was no way he survived? You mentioned the Noah being immortal, so it is plausible that he survived and was biding his time."

Allen pursed his lips but replied levelly through stiff lips, "Plausible yes, but exceedingly unlikely. As much as the Earl is an amazing tactician, his Noah's hatred for mankind and the Innocence itself would have forced his hand in some way before now and I would have noticed it. Besides, his death was certain. I was th-" Neah shoved him hard, the force of it caused his body to double over and his hands grip the edges of the armrests tight enough to cause his knuckles to turn white.

Immediately, Allen forced his body to a stand-still in its curled position and kept his gaze hidden beneath his bangs and lowered to the floor to hide the potential colour sifts in his eyes. He then allowed himself to focus inward and shove Neah back.

_Yes, Uncle?_

_Don't mock me. And shut your mouth._

Allen deadpanned, _I am relaying the situation to a man we could use as an ally. And we will need those. Everything has changed since the last time._

_Yes, I would know, I lived through most of it. Perhaps if you could better control your emotions and not let us be almost killed, you would have lived through it instead,_ Neah jeered.

Allen glared, clenching his jaw, _As if you have room to talk. Regardless, I need to tell Mr. Yagami the situation._

_You will not mention me...us._

_Maybe if you were nicer to me, I wouldn't._

_Maybe if the Earl had not risen from his grave I would be._

_You make it sound as if it was my fault. And it wasn't, as you are very much aware, we share a body after all._

_Don't get smart with me boy, just do as I say._

Allen rolled his eyes at the Noah and his very obvious PMS-ing as he began to pull back to present time. _Yes, Uncle._

_What did I say about mocking me?_ The voice grew quieter despite the obvious anger as Allen focused back into the present, and did his best to ignore the Noah in his head.

"Are you alright, Walker-kun?" Chief Yagami asked, watching the boy with a concerned gaze.

Allen blinked a couple times, raising his head, yet shielding his eyes in a way that made it look as if he was suffering from a headache. "Oh yes I'm fine. Just a bout of dizziness."

"Would you like a glass of water? Perhaps we should resume this discussion tomorrow?" The Chief offered as Lavi leaned over his chair to grab his companion's chin, forcing the silver eyes to meet green. Lavi nodded once to indicate the gold had left his eyes.

Allen shook his head, "Neither is necessary, but thank you. The sooner we can come to an agreement, the sooner we can start a counter attack, or at the very least start getting the akuma under control before they level up too much."

The Chief nodded, but the concern never left his eyes as he watched the silver haired youth, eyes dropping to the hands that were still gripping the edges of the chair's handles. "What would you require of us to put a stop to the Earl?"

"I would like to say men, but I can't ask that of you. Unless they are accommodators, they're survival rate is low to almost non-existent. So in that case, I'd only be willing to take volunteers who have been informed of the entire situation. Other than that, information and support is imperative."

The chief nodded, "Will you need room here at headquarters to conduct your search and work?"

"No," Allen denied. "We already have a secure place, but we will keep in touch often. I'm not sure how involved you, as an organization can get before you have to start receiving results. This is one issue that won't be solved in a couple of weeks, or even months. Years would be optimistic, since the last war lasted over a millennia."

"Our support may be limited as well, if we don't get involved officially. Also, our jurisdiction would only range as far as Japan. If you were to encounter trouble in another country, we would be unable to offer much help."

"Would there be some way for us to make contact with the other police agencies?" Lavi asked, keeping eye contact with Chief Yagami as he reached over to gently pry Allen's stiff fingers from the armrest. Allen blinked and glanced down at the dented wood blankly. He sensed Kanda shifting behind him just before his opposite arm was subtly shoved. That hand also slowly released the armrest in its grip. Allen took a deep breath to center himself before focusing back on Chief Yagami. "I recall all the agencies are joined by the ICPO."

"A meeting was supposed to be held in a week about the akuma. I can make a request for the three of you to be present. Though I'm sure you would have made it a priority to attend either way, Bookman."

Lavi grinned slightly. "That's true."

"Can we wrap this up?"

Lavi glanced over at Kanda, "Aw, is Yuu getting restless again?"

Kanda glared, though it wasn't quite as murderous as it had been in the past. "Moyashi's dead in his seat."

"Aw, Yuu _cares_."

Kanda growled and Allen shivered in his seat. It had been true that he was slightly less energetic than he had been moments before, and the tension that forever seemed to keep him taut as a bow was wearing at his conscious, but he didn't expect for the others to notice. He knew it was from activating his Innocence again after so many years. It wouldn't come as a shock to him that his body would have grown more accustom to the Dark Matter residing within him. But for Kanda to notice and speak up about it? It wasn't that _bad_.

Seeming to sense a fight starting between the two, Chief Yagami stepped in. "I think it might be best for all of us to get a good night's rest and come back to this in the morning. I would like to ask one more question before we finish for the day." The chief looked to Allen to check that he could last that long.

Allen nodded, trying his best to look as awake and lively as possible. He disliked the fact that he could be tired out so easily.

"How did you come across the Innocence and this information if all the survivors of the last war died during the war or of old age?"

Neah growled within his head once again in warning, and this vocalization seemed to give Allen a headache on top of his drowsiness. He fought not to wince. He would have much rather told the chief the truth and save his brain from short fusing to come up with a plausible excuse, but when he tried to tell the truth, his "uncle" almost took control of his body to stop him. At that point, Allen gave in. His body was already worn out and having control forcibly taken by Neah for a few moments was the last thing he needed. With a mental sigh directed at the Noah-he was such a bother sometimes-Allen decided to go with the first explanation that came to him and hoped Lavi and Kanda would catch on and flesh out the lie.

"We're descendants of the three survivors of the war. Each family-well other than Lavi's, it has its own legacy-has been tasked with retaining the information of what occurred 140 years ago and the Innocence they had."

Lavi caught on, as Allen hoped and finished. "We think they did that just so it would be guaranteed they, and their efforts would be remembered, though I suppose Allen-chan's family was also extremely suspicious and overcautious. They knew they destroyed the Noah, but they also were suspicious that they would return, since it was rumoured they were immortal."

"And the Innocence you now possess?"

"We can't explain what the Innocence does or why. We only know that it chooses the accommodator, for whatever reason we haven't been able to fathom."

Allen felt himself stand and bow to Chief Yagami as if he were acting on auto pilot. "We thank you for your cooperation and time, Yagami-san. I apologize for now leaving in such a rush but I'm not feeling too well at the moment."

"It's alright, Walker-kun. Make sure you rest well tonight. You boys make sure of that." He looked pointedly at Lavi and Kanda.

Lavi saluted him with a grin and Kanda scoffed. "We're on it Chief!"

Soichiro watched the trio exit his office with a sense of sympathy and curiosity for the three of them, though for Allen Walker in particular. He looked no older than his own son but it was clear that his health was poor and he had suffered greatly. As a result, Soichiro couldn't help but feel the boy was put under a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility, half of which, the boy probably felt he had to undertake.

As the door closed, Soichiro wanted to help lessen Allen Walker's suffering and if giving his full support on the sidelines was the most he could do, he would. For had it been his own son, Soichiro would have done the exact same.

* * *

The ark was their first destination of choice. However, Allen's exhaustion was leaving him little concentration to walk properly, let alone call upon the ark. The second destination of preference would have been a hotel. That decision was pushed aside to be dealt with later when Allen's stomach roared. It had definitely been loud enough to cause all the people within a ten meter radius to stare at Allen as if he had grown a second head. Food had then become first priority.

Aside from the abundance of food _he_ would actually be able to taste, Allen was in a less than desirable position. Without taking refuge in the ark, Allen would have little chance to avoid the confrontation he was dreading. It had been avoided thus far due to the akuma attack and their meeting with the chief, but he knew the other two wouldn't drop the subject. Not that he'd blame them. If one of them had run off for an unknown period of time with no explanation, he'd be planning all the possible ways to get the explanation too.

Just because he would have done the same thing, didn't necessarily mean he wanted it to happen to him though.

They were sitting in a fairly unpopulated cafe. There were few people within the building, and those that were, were at a distance at which they wouldn't over hear the conversation, save the three of them kept their voices at a reasonable level. Allen briefly considered speaking too loudly and acting obnoxious so they would be kicked out of the building, but quickly cast it aside. He wouldn't endanger his meal, and possibly future meals if the establishment wasn't afraid to feed his abnormally large appetite and had decent food. (As far as he was concerned, no one could beat Jerry's cooking, though a few came close.)

The hostess that had greeted them at the door let them choose their table, since they weren't very busy. Lavi immediately took the initiative to grab the table furthest from both the tables with people and windows. Allen frowned upon noticing this and said frown grew deeper when both Kanda and Lavi grabbed the two chairs closest to the door. They were making this difficult on purpose. Hell, they were sitting next to each other without death threats being issued out. He bit back a sigh.

Silence immediately followed the trio taking their seats. They looked over the menu, trying to decide on what they wanted; Allen was seeing what was available for him to eat. It was this silence in which the waitress interrupted by approaching their table with an uncertain crease in her brow.

She paused before them, assessing and questioning them as she waited, no doubt taking in some of their quirks in a way that expressed she was unclear on how to address it. Eventually, she put on a classic waitress smile and addressed them politely, "Hello, my name is Mizuki, and I will be your server. Can I start you with something to drink?"

Lavi replied without looking up from his menu. "I think we're ready to order. Why don't you go ahead, Allen-chan? Yu-chan and I will have decided by then."

Allen nodded before handing the waitress the menu with a simple, "I'd like a glass of water and one of everything on the menu."

Any niceties the waitress had tried to keep up went out the window as she stared at Allen as if he had lost his mind. "One of everything? Is this for the table?"

Allen politely smiled back at her, his eyes closed. It wasn't an effect to enhance his fake smile, more to close himself off from her judging eyes. "No, it's for me."

"For you? There's no way one person could eat that much by themselves."

Allen's smile didn't falter. "Don't worry, I think I'll manage. I didn't eat breakfast this morning after all."

"Even still, it's just not possible."

"If it's the money you're worried about, I am more than willing to pay for all of it, even if I don't eat it all."

"But then that would just be wasteful."

The corners of Allen's mouth twitched.

"Did you or did you not hear the Moyashi?" Kanda snapped, with a sharp ferocity that caused Allen to open his eyes again to look at Kanda's fiery ones as they glared at the waitress. "We are going to pay for the food. If you don't want our business, we're more than willing to go somewhere else."

Glancing over to the waitress, Allen caught her mouth gaping like a fish. She quickly closed it and forced a smile on her face. "Of course, Sir. What may I get you then?"

"Green tea and tempura soba," he grumbled, pushing his menu away from him.

"You never change, Yuu," Lavi teased, attempting to lighten the mood. Kanda simply glared at the red head. "I'll have water and beef ramen." He handed the waitress his menu before ignoring her completely. With a huff, she walked off.

Silence stretched out between them.

"Can we start this off by telling me what year it is exactly?" Allen asked, breaking the silence unwillingly.

"2008," Lavi answered.

Allen froze. 91 years? Neah had control for 91 years? "Who won the war?"

Lavi grinned, "Which one Moyashi-chan? You know I've recorded more than just one war."

Allen winced. How had they referred to it? No, he didn't want to think too much about it. He really didn't. It was one of the countless times he had thought humanity to be hopeless. "Britain, France and Russia were at war with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy."

"World War I huh?"

"What do you mean one?"

"There was a second one only twenty years later. Germany was a sore loser."

Neah chuckled, _That one was slightly more amusing. At least we weren't forced on the front lines that time._

Allen balked. _I need Timcampy to show me what I missed._

_At least we were fighting for the winning side both times, no?_

Allen growled, That_ is beside the point._ Without his permission-and possibly with the aid of Neah's influence-a battle field, much different to the one with the Earl crept to the forefront of his mind. However different the battle field may have been, Allen would have chosen the one against the Earl without hesitation. At least those casualties had a purpose for dying.

"Moyashi-chan? Moyashi? …Allen?" Lavi snapped his fingers in front of Allen's face to catch his attention. Allen jerked himself out of the memories…the horrid memories.

"Ah, yes. My apologies. I was…reminiscing."

Kanda scoffed, "You were in Canada then." He turned a hard stare onto Allen. "You were forced to fight."

"No," he denied, lying through his teeth. "I lied about my age on my personal records."

"You don't look young enough to have gotten away with it, Moyashi-chan," Lavi pointed out. "You left us before the war started, 1912 I believe. Even if you didn't reach Canada until the start of the war for whatever reason, you could have only gotten away with being 17. You would have been caught in the last string of it."

"I pleaded illness, pretended my arm was paralyzed."

"Then what was so traumatizing that caused Neah to gain control?"

"We decided to switch. To give each other equal time in control."

"Neah would have no reason to shove you into unconsciousness then."

Sometimes Allen really hated Lavi's insight into Neah.

"I was tired, I wanted to sleep."

"Did we wear you out Moyashi?" Kanda gibed.

Allen glared. "I'm sorry, my life's problems aren't centered around you. As much as I know you hate to hear it, the world doesn't revolve around you, BaKanda."

"What was that Moyashi?" The glare was returned with grey eyes and a permanent scowl as Kanda leaned over the table slightly. "I'm not the one who's the drama queen here."

"Would calling you king help you nurse your lost masculinity?"

Kanda stood abruptly, his chair smacking to the floor. "That's it Moyashi. I'm going to slice you to miniscule pieces."

Allen stood slightly slower, taking care to make sure his chair remained on all four legs. He tried not to sway as he remained tense, waiting for Kanda's expected attack. "Don't start using big words now, BaKanda. You might hurt yourself."

Kanda crouched, ready to pounce on Allen when Lavi jumped up quickly, restraining the dark haired man. "Now let's take a deep breath and calm down. We're in public. We don't need to get kicked out on our first visit." Lavi tightened his hold on Kanda when he struggled and looked over to Allen. "Allen-chan, sit down. We don't need you passing out where you stand."

Keeping a hard gaze on Kanda, Allen sat slowly, ignoring the slight shake in his muscles as he pulled his chair underneath him and near the table. He watched calmly as Kanda shook Lavi off and picked up his chair, keeping a noticeable distance from the table. Once he was sure neither of the two wouldn't try to attack the other again, Lavi also returned to his seat.

This was why he wanted to avoid this conversation at all costs.

"We should focus on our plans for tomorrow," Allen sighed.

"Why didn't you keep in contact?" Lavi interrupted.

"You don't either."

"I can't keep in contact while performing Bookman duties. You know that."

Allen pursed his lips as his gaze cast to the side, looking out towards the windows. What would be a suitable excuse while also being believable? Allen frowned slightly unable to come up with anything.

Lavi turned on Kanda, "It's your fault."

Kanda's attention snapped to Lavi, glaring harshly at the younger red haired man. "Don't go blaming me for the Moyashi's mood swings."

"I wasn't there the day he left and you said he didn't come into contact with any of the Noah before or on that day, so that leaves you," Lavi reasoned.

"Baka Usagi…" Kanda warned.

"It's not Kanda's fault," Allen denied, hands clenching into fists against his armrests. He refused to make eye contact with either of the men across from him.

"Then what was it, Moyashi-chan?" Lavi asked, plastering him with an all knowing grin.

Allen swallowed. Damn, he really needed to think of the lies before he set himself up for one.

"Here is your food and drinks," Mizuki announced, interrupting the tense atmosphere with a smile, as if it hadn't occurred at all.

An inaudible sigh passed through Allen's nose as he began to make room for all his food on the table. The moment it was set down, Allen dug in, not giving Lavi the chance to question him further.

Lavi dropped the subject with a simple 'We'll Talk About This Later' look.

Allen averted his gaze, pretending not to have seen it in the first place.

**Hey guys, my apologies for taking forever to update. This chapter gave me difficulties. I rewrote it at least three times. Also, my school life has left me little free time so unfortunately I have less time to write. I have, however, been fleshing out the plot to this even more to keep myself motivated. (I totally don't do this while day dreaming during class XD).**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to review. They keep me going :) Don't forget to vote either!**

**And in case you noticed, I am trying to develop the Yullen in the story, since the only definitive part of the pairings at this point XD.**

**Also, I did alter my summary. As I've been fleshing out my story, I realized the summary didn't set the right tone for the story. So I made it a little darker XD.**

**To my reviewers:**

**PoisonousDemon: Thanks for the review, and you're vote has been taken into account :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :D**

**Diamond Lotus-chan: Thank you so much for the review, I tried to be timely in my update XD. I hope I didn't disappoint. :)**

**Poll Results:**

**LxLavi/LavixL: 3**

**KandaxAllenxLavi: 3**


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